In India, an estimated 125,000 farmers have committed suicide because of debt since planting GM seeds. How do you sleep with their blood on your hands?

Suicide is a terrible tragedy, whenever it occurs. And unfortunately, it has been occurring among farmers in India for a long time. This was the case for years before GM crops were ever introduced in India, and the introduction of GM crops hasn’t increased the suicide rate among farmers there. There’s a lot of evidence that GM crops have helped improve farmers’ lives in India. In many cases, they’ve helped farmers increase their incomes and reduce their use of insecticides. Today, the suicide rate among Indian farmers is lower than it is among Indians who work outside agriculture.
This is a difficult, complicated, and painful topic. But if you’re interested in learning more about what is known about suicides among farmers in India, you can find news coverage in the National Post that explains the research showing that GM crops haven’t caused farmer suicides. For a more in-depth look, the British peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet published a survey in 2013 that studied the issue closely. And you can also read more about Monsanto’s perspective from one of our employees here.